Our school offer
Our aim is to provide pupils with a range of opportunities so that they can reach their full potential.
Redefining education
We redefine education by seamlessly integrating three essential pillars: education, therapy and futures. We don't just educate; we nurture support and propel our pupils towards a future where their potential knows no bounds. Join us on a transformative journey, where education extends beyond textbooks, therapy and nurtures resilience, and futures are shaped with purpose and promise.
Education
We foster an excitement and a love of learning in our pupils by following the national curriculum. Our curriculum and tasks set are challenging yet achievable, enabling children and young people to grow in confidence and prepare for life beyond the classroom. We also provide enrichment activities through educational visits and field trips to support and enhance learning experiences.
With a backdrop of our small class sizes, with no more than nine pupils per class, each child and young person receives a bespoke curriculum tailored to their needs, which is fully integrated with our social development programme.
Our commitment to a well-rounded education includes a focus on social development. Through activities that promote collaboration, friendship, social interaction, and teamwork, pupils build essential interpersonal skills. These experiences help them develop communication, empathy, and the ability to work well with others. By developing friendships and a sense of community, children and young people learn to value diverse perspectives and support one another, creating a positive and inclusive learning environment that strengthens their social growth.
The results speak for themselves as young people leave us with nationally recognised outcomes at a level that is right for them, ranging from entry-level certificates to functional skills, BTECs and GCSEs. This equips them to confidently take their next steps into further education, apprenticeships or employment.
Our outstanding offer
We provide unique learning opportunities for our pupils to help them engage with learning so that they can develop skills and grow in confidence to become proud members of our school community.
Our newly developed and purpose built primary building is located within the school's expansive grounds, while still being very much part of the school community. The provision provides Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils, aged between 5 and 11, with a nurturing learning environment where there are opportunities to develop skills to help children learn and grow to become confident and happy members of the school community.
The provision has been designed to accommodate small class sizes where children can feel safe and learn in an environment full of character and colour.
The primary playground supports pupils to explore, play and discover, in addition to developing and strengthening their gross motor skills and coordination through play. During break times pupils stay active and explore whilst putting into practice their social skills, so that they can make and develop friendships in a fun, safe space.
Furthermore, plans are already in place to develop a conservation area so that pupils can enjoy the woodland space and appreciate the natural wildlife in the local area by setting up camera traps. The aim of the therapeutic space is to help shape the resilience, confidence and self-esteem of pupils through hands on learning experiences. This will also help pupils to improve social skills, develop problem solving abilities and team working. The development of these skills and qualities will ultimately cascade into other areas of pupils’ school life, as well as their personal life, allowing them to grow, flourish and thrive.
Key Stage 2 and 3 learners follow a topic based curriculum which helps teaching and learning become more interesting, relevant and motivating. This approach enables pupils to make connections, transfer knowledge and build their understanding and confidence. This has ultimately resulted in continuity and comprehension of topics being more thorough, whilst pupils are able to apply critical thinking as they identify, categorise, compare and find themes.
The topic based curriculum facilitates the engagement of learning and allows for pupils to enjoy subjects that they previously did not. For example, In Key Stage 2 the topic of Greece will see pupils exploring the country’s geographical profile and the climate, whilst in history they discover the Olympics Games. In RE, pupils explore polytheism and monotheism and in food technology they cook traditional Greek Food.
The topic based curriculum sparks conversations and provide pupils with the opportunity to collaborate, share their ideas and take ownership of their learning, resulting in the strong development of knowledge, skills and meaningful learning experiences.
Pupils are encouraged to take part in sporting activities during playtime and are also introduced to new sports in PE and extra-curricular activities. Working together to tackle skills and tasks, pupils develop a range of skills that are easily transferable into many aspects of their lives, including the classroom and their home environment. Participating in new and exciting sporting activities enables our pupils to take calculated risks that empower them, resulting in increased confidence and intrigue for their next challenge.
The school’s sizeable sports hall is the perfect backdrop for pupils to learn and develop skills in a range of sports, including, badminton, table tennis, boxing and martial arts, or can be introduced to wall climbing by accessing the school’s bouldering wall. Pupils can also request to experience new sports, and where appropriate, a local specialist is brought in to teach them so that they can learn new skills in their learning environment, one such example is archery.
The school also welcomes Sunderland Foundation of Lights, the registered charity of Sunderland Football Club. Professional players deliver training sessions aimed to boost the pupil's dribbling, ball control and coordination, passing and shooting - skills needed to win matches and also develop skills and qualities such as team working skills and resilience.
The school has officially partnered with the Johan Cruyff Foundation, which was set up by one of the world’s greatest sporting icons. The aim of the organisation is to support and develop sports activities for children and young people all over the world.
The school’s state of the art Cruyff Court, is an all-weather pitch which supports small group sports, including football, basketball, volleyball and netball, and an additional grassed field area. The aim of the space is where pupils can grow, make friends and improve their mental health.
We provide our pupils with opportunities to explore the local area in a safe and supported way so that they gain an appreciation of the outdoors and recognise the range of opportunities that it offers. In order to broaden their horizons the trips are presented in a variety of ways.
For example, pupils access Beach School, where they explore their coastal area and become aware about the environment, and the importance of sustainability. The aim of the subject is to help shape the resilience, confidence and self-esteem of pupils through hands on learning experiences. The Beach School has been a benefit to pupils as they are given opportunities to further improve social skills, problem solving abilities and team working. The development of these skills and qualities have cascaded into other areas of pupils’ school life, as well as their personal life, allowing them to grow, flourish and thrive.
Pupils also access other activities including archery, rock climbing and boxing, which offer new opportunities to discover new hobbies and interests.
Pupils are encouraged to choose an area of interest so that they can either develop an existing skill or learn new skills to help them build their confidence and expertise in their chosen subject.
This tailored approach encourages pupils to be more responsible for their learning and helps to improve engagement, which further develops their social and emotional resilience. Subjects vary from learning a new language such as Russian to taking part in a new sport or mastering hair and beauty. The pupil lead learning is truly bespoke to the individual and sessions take place once a week in an afternoon.
To further reiterate the importance of pupils taking responsibility of their learning and development, they demonstrate their progress through portfolio building which helps them to recognise their progress and achievements, and helps to build their confidence.
The school’s Occupational Therapist has helped to design and develop the primary playground so that it fully supports pupils with sensory needs. The play area enables pupils to develop and strengthen both their gross motor skills and co-ordination through play.
The school grounds provide the perfect space for plenty of outdoor activities. During break times, pupils stay active and explore whilst putting into practice their social skills, so that they can make and develop friendship in a fun, safe space. The calming environment has also been requested by pupils for time out sessions reiterating its therapeutic benefits.
Further plans are in place to use the grounds of the school to develop a Forest School area so that pupils can enjoy the woodland space and the chance to play, explore and discover. The aim of the development is to help shape the resilience, confidence and self-esteem of pupils through hands on learning experiences. Forest Schools have a proven track record of further improving social skills, problem solving abilities and team working. The development of these skills and qualities will ultimately cascade into other areas of pupils’ school life, as well as their personal life, allowing them to grow, flourish and thrive.
Ashbrooke School run a programme to encourage children and young people to read, we have an on-site mascot who encourages reading along with a book vending machine, where pupils can exchange points for books.
Therapy
Our on-site Clinical Team provide pupils with unrivalled levels of therapeutic support, in terms of the level of expertise, the ratio of qualified therapists and clinicians to children and young people, and the range of therapies offered. Pupils have the support of our Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and other specialists as required.
We believe that unless a child or young person is able to feel emotionally safe and secure, they are less likely to fulfil their personal, social and educational potential. Our unique approach to supporting young people through our Wave Model enables them to go on to realise a future filled with aspiration and achievement.
Ashbrooke School's Clinical Team complete thorough and skilled assessments that support a shared understanding of the complex needs we see in our children and young people. This enables us to put purposeful and appropriate interventions in place and assess our effectiveness through the tracking of outcomes and impact.
Futures
At Ashbrooke School we are dedicated to raising the aspirations of our pupils, while also equipping them with the skills and confidence to realise outstanding outcomes.
The Futures programme inspires and connects pupils with their next steps beyond education, utilising a growing network of over 350 employer partnerships, including the likes of Microsoft, Mercedes and John Lewis, to provide outstanding experiences of the workplace and ongoing opportunities and support.
Our Futures sessions provide practical guidance on job applications, confidence-building, networking, and workplace expectations, giving children and young people the tools to navigate their career paths with clarity. Complementing this, our Futures curriculum enriches academic growth while developing personal development and career readiness, ensuring they are prepared for their chosen paths. With no upper age limit on support, the programme boasts a 100% success rate in transitioning students into education, employment, or training.